Uncovering the Mystery: WhoDunnit in Netflix's 'The Residence' (2025)

The Residence (2025) is a brand new crime drama series on Netflix, starring the incomparable Uzo Aduba primarily known from Orange is the New Black. Aduba plays a bird watching detective who is called in to solve a murder of the chief usher, A.B Wynter at the White House. 

Cordelia Cupp is an incredibly eccentric detective, as they all are. Aduba sets herself apart from the classic detectives we love from cinema through her distinct delivery, blank stares and memorable love of all things birds. She delivers a performance which sets the tone of the series, she is the core of the story and I am pleased to say she nailed it. 

This series is made up of ten episodes and each reveals a tiny bit of evidence into the overall crime. This is a classic whodunnit and being a fan of quirky crime dramas I did become invested into this narrative. The whole series takes place at the White House, the building almost acts as a suspect itself. The set design was absolutely outstanding, the series was filmed at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles but it truly felt like the cast were inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I was floored by the spectacle of the sets and the detail of the designs, especially in episode one when the audience it given a grand tour of the cascading staircases and grand entertainment rooms. The set design alone is something I found to be pivotal in my enjoyment of this series - truly encompassing and unforgettable. 

Episodes one to four were a little repetitive for me, the editing style of the series is very chaotic at times and often jump cut to scenarios when being analysed by Cupp. I found the overall pacing to be incredibly fast and sometimes a little hard to keep up with. In saying that, episode five onwards became incredibly strong and I was able to relax into the pacing of the series and not be overwhelmed by information and endless character motives - of course, this is the formula to a crime drama but The Residence (2025) was unnecessarily jumpy when it comes to editing. 

Regardless of any editing issues I may have had with the beginning of the series, it still intrigued me and excited me. Ken Marino as Harry Hollinger was a stand out character along with Giancarlo Esposito (A.B Wynter) and Randall Park (Edwin Park) but of course, the real star of this show is Uzo Aduba. 

This is a classic screwball whodunnit and I was kept on my toes throughout the whole series, trying my best to guess the killer and I can confirm I was wrong at the end. The story was strong, the performances were brilliant and the murder mystery itself was mind-bending and satisfying. Although some of the editing decisions were a little frantic for me that didn’t stop my overall enjoyment of Netflix’s The Residence (2025) and I highly recommend it. 

I am hoping to see detective Cordelia Cupp again soon - maybe we can watch her solve a murder at Buckingham Palace? 

Probe Points

★★★★☆